5-Day Serengeti Calving Season Safari with Ndutu and Ngorongoro

You will be picked up from your hotel in Arusha town at 6:30 am and transferred to the airport to board your flight to Serengeti, which departs at 7:45 am and lands at Seronera Airstrip at 9:00 am. Your driver-guide, with an open-roof 4x4 safari vehicle and lunch box, will pick you up from Seronera Airstrip and commence the game drive.

You will visit the well-known Seronera River Circuit, which offers a better chance of spotting a leopard resting on tree branches during the day. A large pride of lions resides here. This river sustains water all year round, making it available for drinking to the resident species.

Enjoy your lunch at 12:30 pm at a picnic site, then continue with more game drives in various parts of the area. In the evening, dinner will be served at 7:30 pm.

Overnight at camp/lodge in Serengeti.

The first day of your safari will begin at 8:00 am in the morning with a pick-up from your hotel in Arusha. Once everyone is aboard, you will head towards Ngorongoro.

After about an hour of driving, you will enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), where you will notice the landscape changing from hilly forests to plain and green grasslands as you drive further. Once you reach Ndutu, you will begin your day game drive with a convenient stop for your picnic lunch. The sweeping grasslands of Ndutu cover the region and gradually fade into the Serengeti.

Ndutu forms part of the route for the annual migration of more than 2 million wildebeests and thousands of zebras, antelope, and gazelle. During game drives in the right season between December and April, you will be able to see the fertile plains turn into calving grounds and nurseries for the great migration. The calving season attracts hordes of predators preying on vulnerable young wildebeest. Crowned by Ndutu Lake and Lake Masek, these waterholes offer plenty of wildlife during the dry season.

Ndutu is also the home ground for six species of big cats - leopard, lion, cheetah, caracal, serval, and wildcat. The action-packed game drive will end late in the evening at around 5:00 pm. You will then head towards your choice of accommodation, where a freshly prepared dinner awaits you. Ensure you get some good rest and recharge yourself for another eventful day.

Overnight at public/tented camp at Ndutu.

Stunned by the previous day's spotting of the migration, today you get another chance to view this beautiful wildlife spectacle. The Ndutu region is part of the glorious Serengeti National Park as well as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). Heading out for a full-day game drive after breakfast, today you will be following the migration depending on its location in either the NCA or Serengeti. During game drives in the right season between January and March, you will be able to see the fertile plains turn into calving grounds and nurseries for the great migration.

This season attracts hordes of predators preying on vulnerable young wildebeest. Watching the circle of life take its course will be an unforgettable experience etched in your memory. The action-packed game drive will end late in the evening at around 5:00 pm. You will then head towards your choice of accommodation, where a freshly prepared dinner awaits you. Ensure you get some good rest and recharge yourself for another eventful day.

Overnight at tented camp at Ndutu.

At 7:00 am, you will head out for a short game drive in the Ngorongoro Ndutu Area after a good breakfast. After completing a half-day game drive and enjoying a picnic lunch, you will leave Ndutu and head towards the Ngorongoro Crater rim.

There will be mild game action to see on the way. The crater is one of Africa's impressive geological attractions and a supreme wilderness mecca. The day ends with a hearty dinner and a good rest at your accommodation. Rest well and refuel yourself, as the following day you will descend into the massive crater.

Overnight at public camp/tented camp/lodge at Ngorongoro.

On this day of your safari, you will have an early start. After a quick breakfast, you will make an early descent at around 6:30 am into the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera. It has a massive floor of about 260 sq km with a depth of over 2000 feet. The 5-hour game drive on the crater floor will show you a lot of animal action, so keeping your camera ready is definitely recommended.

African elephant, buffalo, black rhino, hippos, hyenas, cheetahs, and lions are found in plenty. After a picnic lunch at the beautiful Hippo Pool, you will begin a steep ascent to the top exit of the crater. This is the last leg of your safari, with a 4-hour drive left to Arusha. You will be dropped off at your preferred location in Arusha by 6:00 pm. With an incredible experience and loads of memories to cherish, this is the time you bid goodbye to your team.